Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to decorative ornaments and more particularly, to such ornaments as Christmas tree ornaments, or the like, which can be finalized by an individual in accordance with his/her individual taste.
Decorative ornaments which can be personalized by an individual are known in the art. Some of the ornaments are personalized by adhering a personalized picture to a ball coated with acrylic co-polymer and subsequently applying a second protective coating to the ball, thus permanently securing the picture to the ball (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,464 issued on Jan. 5, 1982 to Rauch).
Other ornaments provide for the use of a spherical transparent ball having one flattened face portion along one side, so that a picture of an individual can be embedded into the side face portion of the ball, and since the face of the picture is directed toward the center axis of the transparent ball, a viewer facing the ball from the side opposite the flattened face portion will see a magnified picture (U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,104 issued to Wiley on Apr. 9, 1974).
Still, another example of a personalized ornament is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,667 issued on Nov. 6, 1979 to Rusch. The Christmas ornament in accordance with that patent is made from a pair of transparent hemispherical housings which are lockable to form a ball. Prior to fitting the hemispheres to each other, a greeting card with a personalized message on one side and a photograph of an individual on the other side can be fitted between the hemispheres and suspended by the same hang rod as the ornament itself.
While offering various methods of personalizing the ornaments, the known methods are not adaptable for use by small children, since they require a certain expertise in handling of coatings, and various adhesives.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a Christmas ornament and a method of making same which will be simple enough to be used by children.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a kit for making an ornamental article of a personalized nature.
These and other objects of the present invention will be easily apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description of the invention.